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<br /> <br />. to integrate response and recovery plans for business and local government to <br />establish and promote common terminology, common planning assumptions, and a <br />team approach to disaster response and recovery based on mutual understanding of <br />concepts of operations, restoration priorities, and time-sensitive business operations <br /> <br />. to improve tbe capaci(v of small business to effectively recover from natural disasters <br />through the implementation of pre.disaster training and technical assistance programs <br />that address the unique needs and capabilities of this key sector of the economy <br /> <br />Sustainable Agriculture. <br /> <br />Agriculture in North Carolina and other states which have a fann-based economy has traditionally <br />focused on increased production and efficiency to provide low-cost food for domestic and export <br />markets, Low energy costs, advances in research and technology and complex fann policies aimed at <br />short run solutions have increased production. <br /> <br />Recent disasters in North Carolina, and their impact on the agriculture sector and the emironment, <br />have focused attention on agricultural practices, the impact of industrial !ann operations on the <br />environment, and the resilience of small fanners in the face of mounting debt, exposure to drought, <br />flooding and other natural hazards, and the economics of fanning in the 21" century. <br />, <br /> <br />Sustainable agriculture involves the "application of scientific knowledge to achieve beneficial <br />production systems that generate acceptable, long-term economic returns; protect the environment; <br />protect human health and safety and support society's goals for the production of high-quality, <br />reasonably priced food and continuation of fanning as a way of life. "7 <br /> <br />Strategies to minimize agri-business risk to natural hazards and other perils should include; protection <br />of fann facilities and equipment; purchase of insurance to cover potential losses; consideration of <br />alternative agriculture management practices that are more flood-resistant; and the promotion of a <br />multi-objective approach to managing an agriculture business operation. <br /> <br />To promote sustainable agriculture on a community-wide basis, agriculture should be represented in <br />the HMPI planning process, The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Se1'lice, a major proponent of <br />sustainable agriculture in the state, can serve as an intermediary between agriculture and the commu- <br />nity, and participate in public-private partnerships, <br /> <br />SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE AND CRITICAL FACILITIES <br /> <br />The third element of sustainable communities is infrastructure (e,g., roads, bridges) and critical facilities <br />(e,g" hospitals, police and fire stations). These are the basic lifelines of our communities, <br /> <br />Public safety, producti\ity and overall quality of life are dependant on the functionality of critical facilities and <br />infrastructure. For these reasons, they receive priority in post-disaster assessment and restoration, Critical <br />facilities and infrastructure are also a priority in pre-disaster mitigation strategies. Hurricane Floyd focused <br />national attention on the imerdependency between infrastructure, and community and business recovery, <br />Regions of the state that were not directly impacted by the flooding experienced economic disruptions due to <br />loss of customers, and the inability of suppliers to provide products and se1'lices. <br /> <br />Our nation's infrastructure may be \iewed as a system of components. An electric power system, for <br />example, is comprised of generation facilities, suhstations, transmission lines, distribution lines, breakers, <br /> <br />15 <br />